Search Warrants Served at Caterpillar Facilities in Peoria

Several Caterpillar facilities, including the corporate headquarters in Peoria, Ill., were visited by federal agents

March 02, 2017

Several Caterpillar facilities, including the corporate headquarters in Peoria, Ill., were visited by federal agents serving a search warrant, multiple sources report. In a story first reported in The Peoria Journal Star, agencies involved include the Internal Revenue Service.

Facilities in Morton, Ill., and East Peoria, Ill., were also being searched, reports say.

A Caterpillar spokesperson said the company was "cooperating." A Caterpillar press release on Thursday said:

"The warrant is focused on the collection of documents and electronic information. While the warrant is broadly drafted, we believe the execution of this search warrant is regarding, among other things, export filings that relate to the CSARL matter first disclosed in Caterpillar’s Form 10-K filed on February 17, 2015, and updated in Caterpillar’s most recent Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 15, 2017.

Multiple reports cite the IRS's criminal investigation unit, the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Office of Export Enforcement, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s office of inspector general as agencies involved.